01 FILM TEAR-PROPAGATION BASIS
ASTM D1922 vs ISO 6383-2: compare film tear data on one basis
A tear value is incomplete until the buyer knows what tear event was tested. ASTM D1922 and ISO 6383-2 address pendulum propagation of a tear that has already been initiated. Keep that event separate from tensile loading, dart impact, driven-probe puncture and finished-package damage, then retain the full method and specimen basis beside every result.
02 DECISION FRAME
Equivalent method scope does not make every supplier result automatically comparable
ASTM lists D1922-23 as the active pendulum method for propagation tear resistance of plastic film and thin sheeting. The public ASTM page identifies ISO 6383-2 as equivalent, while also warning that orientation, extensibility, specimen behaviour and thickness can affect comparison. ISO lists ISO 6383-2:1983 as current after review and confirmation in 2025. Before comparing offers, align the governing edition, specimen, pre-initiated tear basis, MD or TD, thickness, conditioning, result expression and document role.
- Two film offers or data sheets that report Elmendorf tear under ASTM D1922 or ISO 6383-2
- A buyer deciding whether an MD or TD tear row represents the required propagation direction
- An RFQ or receiving rule that must separate a typical value from a traceable sample or lot result
- That ASTM's equivalence note makes results from different editions, specimens or laboratory bases automatically interchangeable
- That tear force can be normalized by thickness without the governing specification and method supporting that comparison
- That a higher propagation-tear result proves tensile strength, toughness, dart impact, puncture resistance, opening behaviour or package performance
03 COMPARISON MAP
Keep the tear event, specimen and evidence role attached to the result
Use the buyer-controlled requirement to select the basis. Treat every missing or different field as a clarification item rather than converting the value.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to review every evidence column.
| Decision field | Question to resolve | Basis to keep attached | Do not infer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tear event and method | Is the requirement for Elmendorf pendulum propagation after a tear has been initiated, under ASTM D1922-23 or ISO 6383-2:1983? | Exact method and edition, governing buyer or material specification, stated modification, procedure reference and precedence rule | Equivalence with tensile, trouser tear, free-falling dart impact, driven-probe puncture or an application tear event |
| Specimen and initiated path | Do both results use the applicable specimen basis and a controlled pre-initiated tear path? | Specimen type and dimensions, preparation and cutting, initiation basis, tear path or oblique-tear observation, exclusions and applicable validity rule | Comparability from a shared Elmendorf label when the specimen or tear behaviour differs |
| Direction and construction | Which production-web axis and film state does the reported tear propagate through? | MD or TD reporting convention, web and cutting map, material and construction, monoweb or laminate stage, fabrication route, side where relevant, lot/roll and sample location | MD-to-TD equivalence, grade-wide behaviour from one specimen or a base-film result for a converted laminate |
| Thickness and conditioning | Were the compared specimens of a comparable identified thickness and conditioned and tested on the same agreed basis? | Individual or average thickness basis, thickness method and sampling, conditioning, test temperature and humidity, specimen age, storage and damage history | A direct linear thickness correction or comparison across dissimilar film states |
| Result expression | Are both rows the same reported tear output, original unit and calculation basis? | Reported property name, average-force basis, original unit, calculation and significant figures, variability or uncertainty record, failure observations and raw-record reference | Automatic conversion into another mechanical property, use-stage outcome or method result |
| Document and acceptance role | Is the value a buyer requirement, supplier limit, TDS typical value, sample report, lot COA or independent result? | Document owner and revision, traceable specimen, sampling rule, comparator, retest route and responsible disposition owner | That a producer reporting example, typical value or one COA releases a shipment or approves later lots |
04 SELECTION SEQUENCE
Move from a broad comparison to an approvable decision.
Define the tear event
State that the requirement concerns pendulum propagation of a pre-initiated tear. If the field problem is puncture, impact, tensile loading, opening or finished-package damage, route it to separate evidence.
Align method and specimen
Keep edition, specification precedence, specimen, initiated path, MD or TD, construction, thickness, conditioning, result expression and observation rules together.
Separate reporting from acceptance
Keep TDS typical data, supplier limits, sample reports and lot results in distinct roles, then assign sampling, retest and disposition to the responsible buyer and technical parties.
05 RFQ INPUTS
ASTM D1922 and ISO 6383-2 film tear RFQ checklist
Request one complete propagation-tear basis from every candidate before treating two Elmendorf rows as comparable.
Open the RFQ brief builder ↗- 01
Packed product, complete film or laminate structure, converter process and the tear-related purchasing or failure question
- 02
Exact material, grade or construction, fabrication route, monoweb or laminate state and stage represented by the specimen
- 03
Buyer-controlled method and current edition: ASTM D1922-23, ISO 6383-2:1983 or another explicitly agreed basis
- 04
Governing material or buyer specification, any procedural modification and the document-precedence rule
- 05
Confirmation that the requested output concerns propagation of a pre-initiated tear rather than tensile, impact, puncture, opening or finished-package behaviour
- 06
Specimen type and dimensions, preparation and cutting, initiation basis, tear-path observation, validity or exclusion rule and sample count
- 07
MD or TD result convention, production-web and specimen-cutting map, side where relevant, lot/roll and sampling location
- 08
Individual or average thickness, thickness method, sampling basis and agreement not to apply an unsupported linear normalization
- 09
Conditioning, test temperature and humidity, specimen age, storage, handling and damage history
- 10
Exact reported property, original unit, calculation and significant figures, variability or uncertainty record and raw-result reference
- 11
Buyer requirement, supplier specification, TDS typical value, sample result, lot COA and independent report kept in separate evidence roles
- 12
Comparator, sampling, retest, nonconformance disposition, representative conversion checks and responsible acceptance owner
06 EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
Official method pages frame the comparison; they do not provide a LayerSource film value or test capability
The official ASTM page lists D1922-23 as active and describes the average force used to propagate an already started tear with a pendulum instrument. It identifies ISO 6383-2 as equivalent, but also explains that orientation and extensibility can affect reproducibility and that data from dissimilar thicknesses are usually not comparable. The ISO page lists ISO 6383-2:1983, Edition 1, as current after review and confirmation in 2025. An ExxonMobil product-data example keeps Elmendorf tear in separate MD and TD rows, keeps tensile, dart and puncture entries separate, and states that typical properties are not specifications. That document is a bounded reporting example, not a LayerSource grade, supplier relationship, method, facility, laboratory or capability. Use the applicable current licensed procedure; the buyer, supplier and responsible laboratory own method selection, specimen validity, comparison, sampling, retest and release.
07 BUYER QUESTIONS
Resolve the assumptions that make quotes diverge.
01Are ASTM D1922 and ISO 6383-2 film tear results automatically comparable?+
No. ASTM identifies the standards as equivalent, but each comparison still needs the governing edition, specification, specimen, initiated tear basis, direction, construction, thickness, conditioning, result expression and document role aligned.
02What tear event do ASTM D1922 and ISO 6383-2 address?+
They address pendulum propagation of a tear after it has been initiated in an identified film or thin-sheet specimen. They do not by themselves answer tensile, impact, driven-probe puncture, opening or finished-package questions.
03Can a tear result be normalized directly by film thickness?+
Do not apply a blanket linear correction. The public ASTM guidance says tearing force and specimen thickness do not have a direct linear relationship and that dissimilar thicknesses are usually not comparable. Use the agreed construction and thickness basis.
04How should MD and TD be recorded for tear testing?+
Keep the supplier's reporting convention, production-web axes and specimen-cutting map together so the buyer knows which tear path the MD or TD row represents. Preserve that map through slitting, conversion and delivery.
05Can a producer TDS tear value release an incoming film lot?+
No. A TDS typical value remains attached to its named material, specimen and reporting basis. Lot release requires a buyer-controlled requirement, traceable lot evidence, agreed sampling and a responsible disposition decision.
06Does a higher Elmendorf tear result prove better toughness, puncture resistance or package performance?+
No. Tensile response, impact, slow puncture, opening behaviour, converting and finished-package performance are separate decisions. Use the applicable evidence and representative validation for each failure event.